- Genesis is developing a mid-engine GT supercar for production.
- The brand plans GT3 racing and hybrid options across its lineup.
- Hyundai’s vertical integration underpins Genesis’ luxury ambitions.
The Hyundai group is no stranger to fast, fun cars. That said, it surprised plenty of folks when it confirmed that its Genesis Magma GT would go into production. Now, it has to ensure that the brand’s first supercar isn’t just a one-hit wonder.
More: Genesis Is Finally Done Being A Fancier Hyundai
The automaker announced late last year that a big performance push was coming. It launched the Genesis GV60 Magma and confirmed that every car in the lineup would get a range-topping hot Magma variant, with the Magma GT to become the halo car of the brand.
A New Performance Chapter
In a new interview with UK’s Car Magazine, Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) president and CEO José Muñoz and designer Luc Donckerwolke lay out their vision for the future. Spoiler alert: it’s following in the footsteps of companies like BMW, AMG, and yes… Lamborghini. Achieving such a big feat is a much more serious effort beyond some Genesis badges on a Kia.
“Genesis vehicles are completely different [from Hyundai and Kia models],”’ says Muñoz. “Their platforms are different, their technology is different, and the performance is different.” That, no doubt, helps the brand stand out, but the Magma GT takes things to another level.
A Lifecycle Playbook For Performance
Preliminary engineering work on the production version is already underway, and insiders suggest it could arrive before 2030.
“You launch the base car, then do an S, and a GT3, and do a roadster. Then you give the car a big midlife facelift and do it again. It’s not rocket science,” Donckerwolke says. In other words, expect the effort to be similar to the way Nissan leveraged the GT-R.
A Business Case For Track Success
It had a long life, it served dutifully as the brand’s halo model, and even made a name in racing. Genesis wants to do the same with the Magma GT. Early indications are that it’ll homologate the car for GT3 racing and then sell units to private teams.
That racing effort will fall under Hyundai Motorsport boss Cyril Abiteboul, the former Renault and Alpine Formula 1 team principal, adding serious motorsport credibility to the plan.
Lamborghini and other exotic automakers make big bucks playing in and supporting that arena. Genesis could, too, if it’s successful at the track.
Low-Volume Specials
Genesis X Speedium Concept
Donckerwolke even suggests that we could see low-volume Magma-only models, and this is where things get interesting. That’s the kind of trick Lamborghini and Ferrari, McLaren, and others pull all the time. Facelift a car, dial in some slightly tweaked specs, call it something new, and sell a few for a big premium.
He insists that recent concepts like the X Gran Coupe and the Wingback estate are not design exercises or attention-grabbing teasers. “The cars are very executable very fast with a minimum level of advance investment,” he says.
In other words, if Genesis chooses to build them, it believes it can do so quickly and without betting the company on the idea. “I strongly believe in not having a monoculture of cars,” Donckerwolke added.
Here’s to hoping that the Wingback concept gets an affordable production model first.
